January 6 Footage Revive Conspiracy Theories Which Quickly Become Debunked Once Again
House Speaker Mike Johnson released thousands of hours of footage from January 6, quickly reviving a few conspiracy theories and talking points from Donald Trump supporters and allies. However, these conspiracy theories were soon debunked once again.
Among the revived claims was that January 6 was "peaceful," as footage showed the insurrectionists not rioting inside the Capitol but just walking around like they were on tour. However, this is easily debunked by the argument that while there were some on the Capitol that were just walking around on January 6, it does not debunk the violent actions of the others captured on camera.
Another claim stated that security footage released by Mike Johnson showed a federal agent disguised as a supporter of then-President Donald Trump during the siege on the Capitol. However, the Associated Press soon fact-checked this claim and revealed that the footage does not show an FBI agent but Chicago man Kevin James Lyon, a Trump supporter who was sentenced last July to four years in prison for his role on January 6. Multiple footage of Lyons at the Capitol wearing the same things as the footage were used in court documents.
As for the "badge" Lyon was holding, it turns out that it was just a vape pen. The January 6 rioter was convicted in April of six charges. These include obstruction of an official proceeding.
MAGA Republicans Lead Charge in Spreading January 6 Conspiracy Theories After Footage Was Released
As soon as Johnson released the January 6 footage, MAGA Republicans soon jumped into action and helped spread misinformation. This includes Marjorie Taylor Greene, who demanded that "Every member of the Jan 6th committee, Nancy Pelosi, FBI, DOJ, DC Police, Cap Police, [and] Jan 6 witnesses" be prosecuted.
READ MORE: Donald Trump New York Fraud Trial: Former Trump Organization Executive Cries While Testifying
Vanity Fair described many of their explanations for their conspiracy theories to be "deranged" and "half-baked" as many could easily be debunked, including the FBI agent conspiracy theory, which was helped spread by Utah senator Mike Lee, who posted about it on X (previously Twitter) before the community debunked his claims.
"The person in the photo is Kevin Lyons. He has been sentenced to 51 months in prison for his illegal activities inside the Capitol on J6. He is not a police officer and is not holding a badge. He is carrying a vape and a photograph and wallet stolen from Pelosi's office," read the context added by X to Lee's post.
Donald Trump Helping Spread January 6 Conspiracy Theories
Helping stoke misinformation about what really happened on January 6 is Donald Trump himself. At a rally earlier this month, he referred to January 6 defendants, many of whom have been convicted of sedition, as "hostages." He then saluted them during a song recorded by the J6 Prison Choir.
On Monday, Trump also reported a claim by a former aide that "everything you've been told about January 6th is bullsh!t" - and that the people who "framed Trump ... will pay." This is stoking fears that should he win. Trump will act more like a dictator rather than a US president, as he has promised he will go after political opponents as revenge.
However, these new conspiracy theories popped up after a state judge ruled in Colorado that the former president did engage in insurrection but ruled that he could still stay on the Colorado ballot due to a technicality.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: Sen. Lee pushes debunked conspiracy theory about Jan. 6 rioter - MSNBC
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